[Flashback]Oh, Hey There Little One[Renaria]

[Atyvn]

85th of Winter, 510 AV The cold was starting to fade a bit, by vantha standards at least, and he decided now was as good as time as any to start hunting again. The harsh winters were endurable for the most of the vantha, but seeing that no one ever hunted with him much it was not a smart move to go hunting alone during winter for him. He sighed, resting his gnosis marked hand on the hilt of his scimitar, as he passed through the Icewall Gates. He knew hunting would be uneventful since it still wasn't quite spring yet, but always one to go out alone to think he didn't mind the quiet. Atyvn's mind went back to his childhood days, playing with the few friends he had and the times his father taught him how to hunt. Around the age of twelve, if his memory served him, was when his father first took him out with a short bow of his own. They didn't catch anything that day, but it was a day he held close to his heart. His father meant the world to him and not a day goes by that he regrets his death. With that, his thoughts and emotions went into a blur of the past.

[Renaria]

Deep impressions in the snow led from a close crop of rocks to a young snow leopard. She was wandering near to the city of Avanthal - the Icewall Gates were very close by. One looking at her would wonder where her parents were, but one looking closer would see that she was not a normal cat. For one thing, there was a leather pack strapped to it's back, and for another it was near civilization. Anyone adding these points together could quite easily come to conclusion that this leopard was in-fact, a Kelvic. Just over half a year old, Renaria had been around Avanthal for only a matter of weeks. Though she felt at home, happy. The outdoors was her home, and the snow was her love. However, spring was drawing near, and the white covering was starting to dwindle. She was making one of her trips into the city. The Kelvic would visit not to stay, but to stock up on the things she may need, such as papers or other objects. She never bought food - she could take care of that herself. As she drew near to the Icewall Gates, the young leopard stopped. She could see someone standing outside them, someone who wasn't one of the guards. She crept closer, her keen eyes picking out details. He was a human, that much was true, though there was most likely some vantha in his blood too. He seemed to be daydreaming - his eyes seemed distant and Renaria had stepped near to him without his noticing. She took another step closer and froze as something crunched loudly under her paw.

[Atyvn]

Atyvn glanced around the perpetually snowed region that he called home. To most foreigners it was a bit of torture, but for vanthas it was a sign that their queen Morwen was alive and well. He glanced at the snowflake on the back of his hand and his mind eased of its pain. He had spent the last five years trying to amend for his deed, though he didn't believe he would ever forgive himself. A real question was should he forget the event? Or at least try to? He normally decided that that was not the best course of action. His eyes returned to their calm blue as he smiled weakly at his rhetorical thoughts. His mind barely made note of the subtle motion near him, blowing it off as a small or young animal that he may have scared. Though not seeing what it was disturbed him enough to stop and look about. He wasn't sure if it was still around, whatever it was, but if it was he couldn't see it. He slid off his bow and notched in arrow in accord with his normal cautious nature in the Reaches to be ready for something. A crunch directed his attention to an area in the snow just beyond a few yards of him. He slowly neared his way to the source of the sound, yet still not being able to see anything in the snow. There was a spot that looked like someone dropped flecks of ash in the snow, which was odd, but he didn't really think of it out of the norm. Though it seemed like the sound came from something near the specks of black. Who would be carrying ash around here anyway? the thought dawned on him, chiding himself for the childish assumption. Whatever it was, he was staying back from it a good two yards, hoping that it wasn't something to attack him. He could still barely make out any difference in the snow besides the specks.

[Renaria]

The young snow leopard remained completely still in body, while her eyes followed the movements of the man before her. She watched as he took hold of his bow and carefully nocked an arrow to it. That was a sure sign he knew of her presence. The other, more obvious clue that he knew she was here, was the fact that he was moving in her direction. Renaria glanced down, to see what had caused the crunch. The culprit was a brittle stick. It had been thick enough and somehow dry enough to snap under her weight. Her attention stayed on the stick for less than a second though. Instinct dictated that she never become distracted from a potential source of danger. She could see that the man continued to look directly at her, and then away again, as if he couldn't quite pinpoint what she was. Still she stayed un-moving. The more human part of her mind was trying to think of a way to make herself known to this man that would involver her not being impaled with an arrow. He had stopped a couple of yards away, and he seemed to have figured he was at a safe distance now. He was wrong, of course. If she wanted to, Renaria could easily land on him with one leap. But human was not on her menu for today - it never had been and she hoped it never would be. She decided that she had two options. She could either move quickly, risking startling the man and causing him to loose his arrow. Or she could slowly sit up and let him see what she was. Another second passed until her decision was made. Renaria slowly lowered her haunches and moved into a seated position. Her head and shoulders stuck out above the snow, but still being young, that was all. Her movement would have been enough for the man to distinguish her shape from the snow surrounding them. If the man looked at her properly, he would be able to see the leather straps of her pack round her shoulders, and she hoped that this was clue enough that she was not dangerous. That and the fact that he was still alive.

[Atyvn]

Atyvn raised an eyebrow curiously at the little creature, now realizing what it was. A snow leopard and no less. Something was different about this one, surely the sight of something much bigger than it would've frightened it away seeing that it was so young. He slowly put back his bow, but only to have his scimitar ready just in case. Then he made his walk to close the distance between the two, now seeing a small pack. How very odd it was to see a pack on the back of this small animal. Was it a kelvic? But even then, kelvic really didn't carry anything at all since they normally had to shed any items that they had before transforming from their human form. Not including the fact that they were animals before they gained a human form and didn't always have materialistic values. He silenced his mind's ramblings and stared at the cat before him. Seeing it so calm gave a small sense of trust to him, but he didn't completely lower his guard. He went to a knee only about three feet from the leopard, admiring its fur a bit. Truthfully, he was curious about the cat. "Are you a kelvic, little one?" he said in his native tongue, but feeling a bit stupid at not using common first. He repeated the question in common shortly after, if there was no action that responded to him to confirm it the first time. I would feel pretty stupid if this turned out to be a simple snow leopard... but it couldn't be, there's no way. he thought.

[Renaria]

It was the correct decision to have made. She watched carefully as the man removed his arrow and stowed away his bow. She could see in his eyes that he was curious, perhaps slightly confused by her presence. It was true that any normal creature would have turned-tail and fled by now. That, or they would have attacked him. Though since Renaria had done neither, he had obviously figured that she was not normal. She noticed his eyes seemed to linger on her pack. Most Kelvics travelled with nothing, either owning no possessions or leaving them in a safe place. Renaria however, liked to make frequent trips into the cities. She hated sleeping in taverns though, so she needed to carry clothing with her unless she wanted to get arrested. Her previous tutor had shown her an easy way to secure a pack to herself after transformation for this purpose. When the man knelt just before her, she flicked her ears in his direction. His words confused her, being unlearned in the dialect he had chosen with which to speak. After a blink, his voice entered her mind again, this time in the common tongue. If it were possible, she would have smiled. The man had apparently picked up on the clues. There was another flick of her ears before she moved her head. A quick downward motion was given, before she returned her gaze to him. If a cat could nod, that was it. As if to add confirmation, a soft huff noise sounded from her throat.

[Atyvn]

Atyvn smiled softly, hoping he had found a new friend. A cute one this one is... seems a little serious, but I can only wonder what its human form looks like. he thought and sighed softly. He secretly wished to have such a friend, even he did not know completely about that want until now. He turned his scimitar towards the ground and stabbed it into the frozen ground and held his hand out to the leopard gently. The little leopard looked to be fairly young to him and maybe she would take to him. "You are not trying to trick me, are you little one?" he teased, now speaking in his patchy common. He was sure he could knock her away in time to grab his weapon if she had ill intentions, but it would more than likely be a fight that he didn't leave unscathed. The sight made him smile to himself. A vantha man kneeled down in the snow in front of a little ball of fur; even it is a kelvic, trying to befriend it. Wonder what someone would think of this? he thought. He shook his head slightly to dismiss the thoughts, knowing he was getting ahead of himself. He turned his focus back to the kelvic in front of him. Would she accept him or no?

[Renaria]

Renaria blinked up at the vantha man, with the innocent gaze that only a young animal seems to possess. Her eyes flickered to his weapon when he moved it, following it's point as he drove it into the ground. She was curious about him, that much was certainly true. When she had travelled with her teacher, Renaria had very few encounters with others. Even when they did come across another, there was little conversation to be had besides common niceties. Her ears flickered forwards again at his words, and she roughly shook her head. A sudden idea came to her, and she rose from her seated position. A few quick movements, and the pack slid from her back to land in the snow. She picked it up between her teeth and made to turn round. She checked herself, and tapped his knee with a paw, her signal for wait. If he chose to move on then so be it. She hurried to a nearby rock, and hid behind it. A Kelvic transformation was rarely seen by another. The man might glimpse some swirls or flashes of light, but from his position that would be all. A couple of chimes later, a young girl appearing to be around 12 years old stepped out where the cat had been. She was dressed in grey woolen pants and tunic, with a thick silvery-white cloak. Her feet were bare, and her long white-blonde hair hung freely to her waist. She tentatively moved back to the man and gave him a small smile, the leather pack clutched in her hands.

[Atyvn]

Atyvn slowly stood as he watched her leave, curious on exactly what she was going to do. He cocked his head slightly as the little leopard went behind the rock, wondering if he should follow her. And he almost did if it wasn't for a thought. What if she is changing? He stopped before he started and figured that waiting would be the best course of action because if she was changing, he didn't want to intrude on something private. The thought made him blush faintly and he blew it off by yanking his scimitar up to place it back on his side. The new sight surprised him though; he wasn't expecting quite the image that was before him. She looked young, as he assumed she was, but that didn't stop him from slightly admiring how pretty she was. Again, he pushed out the thoughts that played with his mind, naturally trying to not think of someone so young even somewhat like that. "Hello, friend." he said with a warm smile, his normal greeting. He gave everyone a chance at friendship to begin with until proven otherwise and he wondered if he was about to be just that. He waved his hand slightly in a nice gesture, his blue eyes scanning over her, trying to determine how she felt about him at the moment.

[Renaria]

OOCSucky post, sorry :/

As she neared the man, she noticed the absence of his weapon. She spotted an impression where it had been embedded in the snow, and her eyes fell on the blade hanging by his side. Her eyes met his and her smile grew slightly. She stopped a couple of feet from him and hitched her pack onto her shoulder. She could tell what he was thinking. Renaria looked like a young child, and truthfully she was. But in less than half a year, she would have matured enough to resemble someone of his own age. "Hello." She returned his wave with one of her own. "I'm Renaria. Who are you?" Her mannerisms were child-like to say the least, and she was often quite blunt with her questions and observations. Her knowledge base on the other hand, was far from childish; Ithus had trained her thoroughly. She was quick to notice things, and she didn't hesitate to act if she needed to. She continued to gaze at the man before her, her head tilted backwards slightly so that she could see his face.